spiritual food for thought

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addiction

This is a picture of my new snowboard & the old one that I was using when I got the concussion. The old one still has the bindings on it l, waiting for me to canabalize it for my new lovely. My new snowboard & of course a new helmet are thoroughly fabulous & I’m eager to rip some runs with my new gear that has a concussion free guarantee. But alas, no such thing exists because everyone knows that the gear isn’t as essential as the user. If the user is reckless, then no gear can make the user invincible.
This point rings true across many mediums. We often want to blame a tool or inanimate object for our dysfunctions. We blame guns for killing people & not the people using the guns. We blame alcohol rather than the addict abusing the alcohol. We blame food for an eating disorder rather than face the broken person in the mirror. We try to earn more money or gain more success, erroneously thinking such acquisitions will assuage our insatiable appetite for significance & genuine love.
Let’s take a pause & consider: when we let the Holy Spirit lead us into truth, then we can live free from deception & destruction.

How I ride my snowboard is the defining factor more than the gear I use. And how I chose to ride speaks to who I am. Let’s be mindful to let the Holy Spirit change us on the inside so we stop being externally abusive 🙂

I was really sad to learn about Robin Williams’ death & it’s even more tragic to learn that he committed suicide. For my generation, he was a very significant person who made many valuable contributions in the entertainment industry and many other areas. When I learned of his death, I of course thought of all the different roles that he played and only recently learned about his struggle with addiction & depression.

Depression is nasty stuff & we would be wise to be sensitive to people who are struggling in this area. Cliche’ & quickie one-liners don’t usually help people who are depressed. The “snap out of” talk, “pick yourself up by your boot straps”, “it’s all in your mind” along with other band-aid phrases can sometimes be nothing more than vaporous cotton candy, frothy & flimsy. If you know someone who is wrestling with depression, here are a few helpful tips:

be gentle & patient

genuine prayer is always valuable!

giving them some company can sometimes help

If you’re struggling with depression, here are some things that may help:

keep some regular routines: prayer, Bible time, church, going to sleep & waking at normal times